Match List I with List II
| LIST I | LIST II | ||
| A. | Zamindari System | I. | Benami transfer |
| B. | Raiyatwari System | II. | Radical restructuring of agrarian structure in Kerala and Bengal |
| C. | Tenancy abolition and regulation | III. | Less burden of taxation, more prosperous |
| D. | Land Ceiling | IV. | Agricultural product stagnated/declined |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → A-IV, B-III, C-II, D-I
(A) Zamindari System — this matches (IV) Agricultural product stagnated/declined. Under British rule the zamindars got more control over land, and with heavy land revenue imposed on agriculture they extracted as much as they could from the cultivators. Peasants fled from oppressive landlords, so agricultural production stagnated or declined.
(B) Raiyatwari System — this matches (III) Less burden of taxation, more prosperous. Here the ‘actual cultivators’ paid the tax directly to the colonial government, without the zamindars in between. The burden of taxation was less, cultivators had more incentive to invest, and these areas became relatively more productive and prosperous.
(C) Tenancy abolition and regulation — this matches (II) Radical restructuring of agrarian structure in Kerala and Bengal. These acts tried to outlaw tenancy or regulate rents to give tenants some security. In most states they were not implemented well, but in West Bengal and Kerala there was a radical restructuring that gave land rights to the tenants.
(D) Land Ceiling — this matches (I) Benami transfer. The Land Ceiling Acts put an upper limit on the land a family could own. Landowners escaped them through loopholes, some rich farmers even divorcing their wives on paper to claim a separate share, and these were called ‘benami transfers’.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Colonial Period … When the British colonised India, in many areas they ruled through these local zamindars. They also granted property rights to the zamindars. Under the British, the zamindars were given more control over land than they had before. Since the colonisers also imposed heavy land revenue (taxes) on agriculture, the zamindars extracted as much produce or money as they could out of the cultivators. One result of this zamindari system was that agricultural production stagnated or declined during much of the period of British rule. For peasants fled from oppressive landlords and frequent famines and wars decimated the population.…” “…Many districts of colonial India were administered through the zamindari system. In other areas that were under direct British rule had what was called the raiyatwari system of land settlement (raiyat means cultivator in Telugu). In this system, the ‘actual cultivators’ (who were themselves often landlords and not cultivators) rather than the zamindars were responsible for paying the tax. Because the colonial government dealt directly with the farmers or landlords, rather than through the overlords, the burden of taxation was less and cultivators had more incentive to invest in agriculture. As a result, these areas became relatively more productive and prosperous.…” “…Among the other major land reform laws that were introduced were the tenancy abolition and regulation acts. They attempted either to outlaw tenancy altogether or to regulate rents to give some security to the tenants. In most of the states, these laws were never implemented very effectively. In West Bengal and Kerala, there was a radical restructuring of the agrarian structure that gave land rights to the tenants.” “…In some places, some rich farmers actually divorced their wives (but continued to live with them) in order to avoid the provisions of the Land Ceiling Act, which allowed a separate share for unmarried women but not for wives. These were also called ‘benami transfers’.…” |